Cottage cheese is a food I tend to forget about for a while, then notice again, then buy over and over until everyone is tired of it. And by “everyone” I mean Fuzz, who asked me to stop serving it. Little did she know H.E..B. had just had a “buy something get free cottage cheese” sale and that I had loaded up. That’s pretty much the inspiration for these cookies. They call for 1/2 cup cottage cheese so I made a dent in the stockpile.
Using extra dark cocoa powder (Dutch processed) made them very dark, and throwing in a good amount of not-too-sweet dark chocolate chips added the sweetness and richness the cookies needed to make them a dessert fit for any chocolate cookie. Yes, they are a cakey cookie, but the chocolate chips make the texture more interesting. As for the powdered sugar, it covers up the little flecks of cottage cheese that show up.
By the way, the Berger cookies are now in the freezer and they do freeze quite well! I’m going to serve them at a party tonight. Too bad none of the attendees are from Baltimore.
- 1 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (6.2 ounces) all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup unsweetened extra dark cocoa powder, (Hershey's)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup small curd cottage cheese
- 5 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon unsalted butter
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup extra dark chocolate chips
- A little powdered sugar for dusting
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with nonstick foil.
- In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the cottage cheese for about a minute. Add the butter and both sugars and beat for another 2 minutes. Reduce mixer speed to low and add egg and vanilla, beating just until mixed.
- With a mixing spoon (or using the lowest speed of a stander mixer fixed with a paddle), gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and stir until incorporated. Stir in the chocolate chips.
- Using a tablespoon measure, scoop up dough and arrange balls of dough (they'll be sticky -- not perfectly round) on the baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake on center rack for 10 minutes or until cookies appear set. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. After about 5 minutes or when the cookies are warm rather than very hot, sift some powdered sugar over them. This covers up the little flecks of cottage cheese.
beth says
July 30, 2012 at 8:52 amCongrats on the release of your first cookie cookbook .I cannot wait to see all of your wonderful cookie recipes! Everything I make from Cookie Madness comes out utterly delicious! I love the concept of a daily cookie. Best Wishes.
beth
Paula B. says
July 28, 2012 at 4:45 pmI’m always on the lookout for new chocolate cookie recipes and this one looks decadent. How about some peppermint bark in them for Christmas, yum!
Chewthefat says
July 28, 2012 at 6:22 amI’ve used Greek yogurt in various cookie recipes, but never cottage cheese! BTW, if you are looking for a way to use up cottage cheese in a way that disguises the fact that it is cottage cheese, this recipe looks intriguing–I am going to try it soon…
http://easteuropeanfood.about.com/od/croatianserbmaincourses/r/burekcheese2.htm
Hershey’s Special Dark is my go-to dutch processed cocoa powder of choice, and I always get comments on how fantastically rich and black it makes the final product.
Cookie Sleuth says
July 27, 2012 at 10:57 pmGreat tip on the powdered sugar! I know Mr. Sleuth would not eat them if he could see the cottage cheese. The cookies look great!
Karen says
July 27, 2012 at 10:52 pmThese cookies look and sound absolutely terrific! I agree with the cottage cheese lasting a very long time before it is past it’s edible stage. My favorite recipe for using cottage cheese is Cottage Cheese Dill Bread.
Martha in KS says
July 27, 2012 at 5:04 pmOne more tip – when I went to Weight Watchers I learned to make mock sour cream by putting cottage cheese in the food processor. It can be substituted for sour cream in recipes.
Martha in KS says
July 27, 2012 at 5:02 pmThe thing I like most about cottage cheese is that it lasts almost forever (or so it seems) especially unopened. When I think I don’t have anything to pack in my lunch, there’s always cottage cheese & canned fruit. And for quick “lasagna” boil some pasta, throw in spaghetti sauce & cottage cheese, and mozzarella if you have it.
Rebecca says
July 27, 2012 at 4:20 pmI wish you’d posted this 3 days ago – I just had to eat an entire container of cottage cheese by myself since it was past it’s “best by” date. Cookies would have been much more palatable!
Sue says
July 27, 2012 at 3:19 pmI’ve never been wild about cottage cheese, but something tells me I’d like these cookies!
Darlene says
July 27, 2012 at 12:54 pmWith the cottage cheese and dark chocolate, these cookies should be classified as health food! Seriously, they look moist and scrumptious. Good job camouflaging the flecks of cottage cheese.
Lisa Ernst says
July 27, 2012 at 11:04 amThis is an intriguing idea. I don’t eat cottage cheese, but my husband used to eat it all the time (then got tired of it, like Fuzz). The cookies look good and they get that extra kick of protein from the cottage cheese, along with plenty of chips. I guess I’ll have to enjoy these only visually…..
Alton says
July 27, 2012 at 11:04 amThis recipe appeals to me because I am always buying cottage cheese and never using it all. Now I can make cookies to go with my Weight-Watcher salad!